Ornamentation



Patented pro i7, 1934 UNITED STATES @RNAMENTATION Alfred B. Poschel, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Decorative Development, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 2, w31, Serial No.`53l,75

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the ornamentation, marking or coloring of leather and other porous and stretchable continuous sheet materials, particularly such highly stretchable leathers as kid and sheepskins, by transferring thereto a previously dried and set color-body. By a stretchable continuous sheet material is meant a sheet material which is structurally continuous in its own plane even when stretched, for example 1o leather or felt, as contradistinguished from a woven, knitted or netted material which presents openings transverse to its own plane after, or even before, being stretched.

The prime object, is to provide a method of imparting a free flexibility and a non-injurious stretchability to the transferred color-body of a transfer-print where suchv color-body by its own nature is non-stretchable and relatively nonadherent without rupturing, as for instance, where the transferred color-body has been printed from lithographie ink and then dried to form a solidified jelly, or solid-colloid film or layer, and where such color-body is transferred to a stretchable continuous sheet material.

This object is attained by treating the sheet material with a material adapted to act as a dissolving or a mobilizing agent (hereinafter called the mobilizer) for the dried color-body, to disintegrate the same and to cause partial penetration of the color-body elements into the body of the sheet material when a'pressure, or a heat and pressure, transfer, of suchcolor-body is made to the sheet material while the latter has the mobilizer still un-evaporated therefrom; and by then impregnating and coating the transferred colorbody with a plasticizing solvent in the form of a plasticized lacquer of such a character that when this lacquer is dried and set, the sheet material, the transferred color-body,and said coating will be integrated, and perfect proportional elasticity will consequently be established between all the integrated elements. As a result of the condition l last described, the4 nished product may be given very considerable stretching, without any noticeable cracking, rupturing, or flaking off, or other injury to the physical construction of the colorbody.

Referring more particularly to the mobilizer, experiments carried out over a long period have provedv that a great number of solvents known commercially as thinners, andw even lacquers thinned by solvent additions, will give fair results, but for practical manufacturing reasons a solvent or solvent mixture 'with a medium boiling point,

that is, with a medium rate of evaporation, is recommended. n

Referring more particularly tothe color-body transferred, said experiments have proved that color-bodies printed from ordinary lithographie printing ink, which consists mainly of drying oil varnishes and pigments ground together, give very satisfactory results when employed in practising. It has so far been found, however, that the addition of resinous or wax-like and nondrying or non-oxidizing substances, such as-gum elemi,cumar or beeswax, to the printing ink, further improves the result obtained.

Referring more particularly to the plasticized lacquer, said experiments have indicated that a cellulose lacquer, having a relatively large plasticizer content, is generally to be preferred, because not only capable of considerable stretch after drying, but also because having ample plasticizing effect on the transferred color-body.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a preferred manner of working the same, as illustratively shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows in edge elevation the sheet mate- 80 rial to be decorated by transfer, and one way of applying a mobilizer thereto to prepare such material for the transfer;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a transfer print, including a dried and set color-body, printed from 35 lithographie ink, and a paper carrier for the colorbody;

Fig. 3 shows such color-body being transferred to the sheet material of Fig. 1 by pressure, or heat and pressure;

Fig. 4 shows said sheet material with the transferred color-body thereon, following completion of the step of Fig. 3 and removal of the paper carrier; and

Fig. 5 is an edge elevation showing the plasti- 95 cized lacquer coating overlying the color-body of Fig. 4.

Said drawing is largely diagrammatic, with certain thicknesses exaggerated and with no attempt made' to illustrate relative thicknesses; and in Figs. 100

2, 3 and 4 the drawing is simplified by not attempting to show between the color-body and the paper carrier the water-soluble coating commonly employed in the art to prevent the color-body penetra-ting the paper carrier during and after printing, and to make it easy to strip said carrier off the color-body when the carrier is wetted following the transfer. It is explained that a transferprint including such a water-soluble coating on the paper, directly on to which coating the colorno body is printed, has been heretofore used in carrying out the present invention; and this explains the statement in parenthesis in the upper of the two legends on Fig. 4. Further to simplify the drawing, in Figs. 4 and 5 no attempt has been made to show the above-mentioned penetration of the color-body into the body of the sheet material.

Said sheet material will hereafter, for convenience, be called the leather.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, and rst to Fig. 1, the surface of the leather to be processed, usually on its grain side, is subjected as by a spraying or other spreading, to treatment with a suitable mobilizer including a mixture of solvents like the following:

Parts Cellosolve (ethylene glycol ethyl ether) 50 Cellosolve acetate (ethylene glycol monoethylene ether acetate) Synthetic camphor (pirene hydrochloride) 10 Toluol Add 2% to 5% of water.

As an example of another mobilizer with which excellent results have been obtained, the following formula is given:

Parts Butyl aceate Butyl alcohol 10 Dibutylphthalate 5 Toluol Mixtures selected like those foregoing may be obtained simply by mixing well the various ingredients, without special heating or cooling.

The mobilizer thus applied is immediately absorbed by the leather. The fact that the spongy fibrous structure of the leather retains this applied material for a relatively long time, is advantageous to facilitate commercial working of the method.

When the sprayed leather has become practically dry on its sprayed surface (which surface may well be the surface to be decorated), but before the mobilizer contained within its body or inner structure has been materially evaporated 01T, said leather is ready to have applied thereto the color-body to be transferred.

These parts, the leather of Fig. 1 in the condition just described, and the color-body of Fig. 2 (still on its paper carrier as shown in the View last mentioned) are assembled, or stacked, and placed between the plates of a press, as shown in Fig. 3, and then subjected to pressure and heat, as by the use of a hydraulic press with heated plates; the use of heat being not indispensable, but giving better results.

The parts are brought to the condition shown in Fig. 4 by releasing the pressure of the press, taking away the stacked elements, and suitably removing the paper carrier, as in the usual Way, by the application of water to soften the same, and also the water-soluble coating between the same and the transferred color-body where such coating is Soluble cotton, dry; oz.

Camphor; 15 oz.

Gum elemi; 5 oz.

Dibutylphthalate; 10 oz.

Blendoyle (boiled castor and rapeseed oils);

1A gal.

Cellosolve; 5% gal.

Cellosolve acetate; 1A gal.

Toluol; 4 gal.

As an example of another such lacquer with which excellent results have been obtained, the following formula is given:

Soluble cotton, dry; 50 oz. Synthetic camphor; 15 oz. Tricresylphosphate; 15 oz. Cast-or oil; 1A; gal.

Butyl acetate; 4 gal.

Butyl alcohol; 1 gal. Ethylene dichloride; 5 gal.

To make such a lacquer, the ingredients may be simply mixed well, without special heating or cooling.

The thus completed leather after drying may be subjected to any desired finishing step or steps, as plating, embossing, pumng, or boarding, without danger of cracking, rupturing, flaking, or otherwise injuring its decorated surface; and such leather will withstand any reasonable stretch and wear tests.

Reverting now to the mobilizer, the invention is not to be limited to the use of clear mobilizers. Colored or tinted mobilizers may be employed to give desired shades or color-tones, or to modify the natural color of the leather, and nevertheless employed to give good results.

The new method, as above described, is most valuable for leathers which have received no previous lacquer or other treatment closing or clogging the pores of the leather. But even -leather which has been given a previous treatment like subjection to a dyebath or the receiving of a pigmented coating or a water varnish having a casein or shellac base may be ornamented satisfactorily pursuant to the invention, provided the structure and behavior of such leather are not antagonistic to the cooperant action of the agents of the present method as described.

With certain leathers there is a possibility that the pressure of the hydraulic press or the like will fiatten somewhat the natural grain of the leather. But by exposing the leather for a suitable length of time to moisture or steam or moistened air, after the color-body ofthe transferprint has been bonded thereto, this attened effeet disappears completely, the grain being raised to its original condition.

As to applied color-bodies which are of one color throughout, there has been observed no variation oftint or shade anywhere, as the result of a working of the present invention. .As to color-bodies which in multi-color or otherwise, as by differential shadings or tintings, incorporate geometrical or other designs, there has been observed no undesirable blurring or smudging or interblending of diierent colors, shades or tints where such color-bodies have been applied pursuant to the invention to the grained side of such fine-grained leathers as kid,one explanation of which may be the very presence of such grain.

The scope of portection contemplated is to be taken solely from the appended claims, interpreted as broadly as is consistent with the prior art, and pursuant to the definitions herein expressly or impliedly given. In said claims, where they call for a sheet material which is stretchable, there is meant a sheet material which is considerably more stretchable than those leathers which are commonly considered non-stretchable such as full-grained cowhide; and also in said claims, where they call for a color-body which is not stretchable without rupturing, there is meant a color-body which has been formed of an oil Varnish ink such as commonly employed in lithographie printing and which color-body has been dried to a condition such that at the time of transfer it cannot be stretched at all, or, in any event, is incapable of being lstretched to the same extent as said sheet material, without a rupturing of said color-body clearly apparent to the naked eye.

I claim:

1. The method of transferring to a stretchable continuous sheet material a color-body which is not stretchable without rupturing; which involves treating said material with a mobilizer for said color-body and applying the color-body to said material and subjecting said material and the color-body to pressure whereby the colorbody is reconditioned and while so reconditioned forced to partially penetrate said material, and then applying a plasticized lacquer to the colorbody, whereby a permanent additional stretchability is imparted to the color-body, all so-that on thereafter subjecting said material to considerablev stretch the color-body will stretch therewith without rupturing.

2. 'I'he method of decorating a stretchable continuous sheet material by transferring thereto a color-body which is not stretchable without rupturing; which involves treating said material with a mobilizer for said color-body, applying the color-body to said material, subjecting said material and the color-body to heat and pressure, and applying a coating including a plasticizer over the color-body; whereby the color-body is secured to the sheet material to stretch therewith without rupturing when the color-body is considerably stretched.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein said mobilizer is evaporable and is deposited within and on the sheet material, and wherein the colorbody is applied and squeezed against the base material by said pressure after the mobilizer has partially evaporated 01T. y

4. The method dened in claim l, wherein said plasticized lacquer is a cellulose lacquer.

5. The method of transferring and securing to a stretchable, continuous sheet material, a color body which is not stretchable without rupturing, which involves treating said material with a mobilizer for said color body and subjecting said material and said color body simultaneously toA pressure thereby disintegrating the cohesiveness of saidcolor body and forcing the same partly into the porosities of said material, and then impregnating and coating said color body and said material with a plasticized lacquer whereby the rehardening of said color body isl prevented and a permanent uniform stretchability of said color body and said material is established.

6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein said mobilizer is evaporable and is deposited within and on the sheet material and wherein the color body is applied and'squeezed against the base material by said pressure.

7. The method dened in claim 5, wherein said plasticized lacquer is a cellulose lacquer.

l ALFRED B. POSCHEL. 

